How to start an external shading business

How to start an external shading business

External shading or solar shading is now used across the UK commercial and residential sectors. From helping to limit solar rays entering a building interior to protecting exterior fittings and creating shaded areas, it’s a great time to start an external shading business.

There’s lots to consider when planning to start a solar shading business. From finances and marketing to tools and equipment, you’ll need to plan carefully to achieve business success.

Whether you’ve already worked as a window/door fitter, or have installed blinds and shutters, as a business owner, you will now be your own boss. This means that you can:

• Set your own working hours
• Specialise in certain types of external shading (or all)
• Choose your clients
• Hire your own employees
• Decide what areas you want to target

Firstly, however, you’ll need to ensure that your solar shading business is all above board and legally registered.

Making sure you’re correctly established

The first thing to do when starting a solar shading business is to register your company with HMRC. Doing this ensures that your new venture is compliant with UK law.

As part of the process, you’ll need to choose the structure of your external shading business. As a business your options are:

• Sole trader
• Limited liability partnership (LLP)
• Limited company (Ltd)

Read our guide on the difference between sole trader and limited companies if you need more detailed information.

Insurance options for your solar shading business

Insurance is important for all businesses to have. Especially as a tradesperson or sole trader. It can provide protection for both you and your customers in the event of an accident, theft, or damage to property.

Some of the most popular types of business insurance are:

• Public liability insurance – PLI can cover against claims from members relating to personal injuries, loss or damage to property
• Professional indemnity insurance – PII can help protect against customer claims relating to negligence or bad advice
• Tools insurance – This is designed to help with replacing equipment following loss caused by theft, fire, or flooding
• Employers’ liability insurance – Important for business owners if you’re planning to take on staff to help

Once your external shading business is set up and insured, you can start thinking about what tools and equipment you’ll need to invest in.

As one of the conditions we look for, all Checkatrade members are required to have their PLI in place. To help with that, we’ve also partnered with Superscript to save our members on the cost.

What jobs does a solar shading business carry out?

If you’re planning to start a solar shading business, you’ll probably already have a good idea of what’s involved.

Perhaps the best way to approach solar shading is by looking at what types of products you’re going to offer your customers.

Some popular solar shading devices and materials include:

• Aluminium, timber, and uPVC systems
• Louvres
• External blinds
• Canopies
• Shutters
• Solar screens
• Canvas awnings

If you’re planning to offer your customers automatic or motorised external shading, you’ll need to have some experience working with setting up electric devices.

With the continued growth of home automation, you may also need to know how to programme controls through devices like Alexa and Google Home.

Once your solar shading business is set up and you’ve bought some equipment, you’re going to need to start marketing your external shading company.

Building an external shading business website

Creating a website may seem difficult. With a bit of knowledge, however, you’ll soon have a stylish and user-friendly website to market your external shading company.

Whether you decide to build it yourself or hire a web designer, the more you know about the process, the higher chances of success.

At a basic level, any good website for trade businesses should include:

• Your business name and logo
• Your address and contact details
• Information about the external shading you install
• The areas you serve
• Any positive customer testimonials
• Photos of your previous work (before and after shots)
• Whether you work on installation, maintenance, repair work etc.

Once your website is set up and live, it’s time to think about marketing. You’ll want to attract customers for your external shading business and keep that momentum going.

Marketing ideas for your external shading business

Marketing your external shading business can involve both traditional and digital marketing. When combining both, you’re likely to have more business success in your chosen area.

Classic marketing techniques

This type of marketing involves any business promotion and advertising that is not done online. It can include:

• Sending brochures and leaflets by post
• Creating signs and logos for your vans and workwear
• Using your brand to sponsor local events
• Advertising in local magazines and newspapers
• Posting your services on community bulletin boards
• Using word of mouth to grow your customer base

When you’re just starting out with a new business venture in a local area, it is a great way to promote your services and get off the ground.

However, in an increasingly digital world, it is important to have your business online as well.

Digital marketing for your external shading business

Digital marketing includes all the work you do online to promote your business.

This could include:

• SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)
• PPC (Pay Per Click) advertising
• Social media
• E-mail marketing

It’s important to remember that your online identity should be consistent with your offline strategy. Anything you post on social media, for example, should be carefully aligned with the information on your website.

Want to find out more about marketing your solar shading business? We’ve put together a handy guide to help you plan your marketing.

Becoming an approved external shading specialist

Perhaps the most important part of starting a solar shading business is getting leads. And in 2023, with over 14,000 searches for awnings and canopies on the Checkatrade website*, there is existing interest to tap into.

Becoming a Checkatrade member is a great way to grow your external shading business and enjoy customer trust.

Depending on the membership tier you choose, you can also enjoy guaranteed volumes of job leads. And when you want more work, you can choose to flex your membership up.

Other reasons to join include:

• Offers and discounts on a range of essentials
• Help with the cost of your trade skill training
• Savings on your public liability insurance
• Dedicated membership advice team
• Ability to be featured in the iconic Checkatrade directories
• Access to the trades app for job management and quoting/invoicing

With people searching our website for trade jobs every month, being part of the Checkatrade database is a great way to promote your brand and grow your lawn care business.

* Internal search data from users of the checkatrade.com website throughout 2023